VOTE: Does Sheffield get a fair deal?

LABOUR politicians in Sheffield are launching a campaign for a ‘fair deal’ on Government funding backed by both the city’s Anglican and Catholic bishops.

Sheffield Council is having to reduce its £480 million budget by £50 million in 2013/14 - after making a £50 million cut in the current financial year and an £84 million budget cut in 2011/12.

But ruling Labour councillors, supported by Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield, are unhappy that while they are having to make large cuts, Richmond Upon Thames only had to make a £1 million budget cut in 2012/13.

What do you think? Does Sheffield get a fair deal?

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• Frontline police officers in South Yorkshire reducing by 182 between 2010 and 2015 - seven per cent of the force - while Surrey Police are recruiting 276 more officers, an increase of 18 per cent.

• South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has lost £4m, or seven per cent, from its budget between 2011 and 2013, meaning closure of fire stations and loss of jobs, while Hampshire had a budget increase of three per cent, or £1.79m.

• Between July 2011 and June 2012 Sheffield’s average unemployment rate was 10.1 %, whereas in Great Britain it was 8.1% and in Surrey it was just 4.4%.

• The Government is considering changing the way the NHS is funded. If their plans to move to a purely age based formula were adopted Sheffield NHS would lose almost £73m per annum, or over 8% of its budget, while Surrey would get a staggering increase of £400m.

• In 2011/12 there has been a net reduction of £8.5m in funding to 159 charities in Sheffield but Oxfordshire Council could actually afford to increase its funding for charities by £327k in the same year.

• In 2011/12 Sheffield City Council had £5,925 to spend on education and support services per pupil, but in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea they could afford to spend £8,920 per pupil - that is £2,995 more per child.

His spokesman said that Sheffield’s budget is three and a half times bigger than Richmond’s and that despite the cuts, Sheffield residents will still have £160 per head more spent on them than in Richmond.

Mr Clegg’s office said South Yorkshire Police received £60 extra per head in funding than Surrey, while Hampshire Fire Service has greater budget cuts in 2013/14 than South Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire Fire Service has more to spend per household than Hampshire, £99.63 per year compared with £96.17.

The spokesman added that Labour could have given Sheffield’s voluntary sector more protection from cuts, while Sheffield schools are receiving £11.4m in extra funding in 2012/13 compared with £2.9m in Kensington and Chelsea for pupils from deprived backgrounds.

Mr Clegg’s office added that the coalition is delivering investment in Sheffield including the £2 billion Streets Ahead highways resurfacing scheme, £500m Midland Mainline rail electrification and £300m scheme to open the fourth lane of the M1 to provide extra capacity.